Buenos Aires – Part One

My walking city – Beautiful Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires to me is a walking city. A place where you will miss out on the texture and vibrance of the city should you spend too much time in the confines of a car, a bus, a hotel room, or hostel dorm. By walking you expose yourself to its love, to its beauty, to its story and most importantly it’s people

The people of BA gave me the welcomed impression of being warm, friendly and inquisitive. Everyone I came across smiled and said a hearty hello. Even though there was a language barrier, it didn’t stop them from being so friendly. Just a smile made a whole world of difference. Being in an unknown city, the people always make the biggest difference for me. People would stop, try chat to me, ask where I am from and offer up priceless information and insights about their home, they would chat as though they had all the time in the world.

The people seemed to carry with them this unmistakeable sense of content. Like their world was just as it should be. Peaceful content. I could see it in the faces of the old ladies walking their dogs, the young couple jogging on the pavement, the shop keeper tending to his wares, the twenty somethings in the coffee shops and it was contagious.

For the short week that we spent there, we lived in a wonderful area called Palermo. I fell absolutely in love with Palermo, with all of its bars and restaurants, corner cafés, markets, and some of the most exquisite clothing stores with items by local designers. Of course, I spent a little bit too much money shopping. I especially loved the market (I wish I could remember the name), which opens on Sundays. It had a huge variety of handbag stalls, earrings, trinkets and antiques to name a few.
Palermo seemed like a district that called out to its inhabitants and sang a song to all, saying ‘You are home’. I felt safe, I felt welcomed and I was at ease. Peace has many shapes and forms, for me it was walking Palermo.